Ruffler



Feb. 23, I954 H. H. RUSSELL 2,669,954

RUFFLER Filed Aug. 27, 1952 INVENTOR W ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 23, 1954 RUFFLEB Herbert H. Russell, New Haven, Conn., assignor to The Greist Manufacturing Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application August 27, 1952, Serial No. 306,530

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to sewing machine attachments and more particularly to an attachment for making ruffies or gathers, which attachment can be attached to the usual household sewing machine.

In devices of this kind it is usual to provide a frame adapted to be attached to the presser bar of the sewing machine upon removal of the presser foot, and this is true of the present attachment. Upon this frame is pivoted a pendulum lever which is connected at its lower end to a carrier to which the ruflling blade is attached. The pendulum lever is oscillated by the oscillations of a fork arm pivotally carried by the frame, the fork arm being bifurcated at its forward end to embrace the needle screw of the needle bar of the sewing machine to which the device is attached, so that upon reciprocation of the needle bar gathers or rufiles will be made in the material and stitches will be efiected through these gathers or ruffles.

To this end a pawl member is carried by the fork arm, which pawl member is provided with a tooth to engage a shoulder provided on the pendulum lever to move the latter in one direction, and a screw or kicker is mounted on the fork arm to engage a part of the pendulum lever and move it in the other direction. It is desirable to provide means for varying the spacing apart of the rufiies or gathers so as to vary the number of machine stitches between adjacent ruflies, and to this end a ratchet wheel is rotatably mounted on the frame to be engaged by the pawl on the fork arm.

This ratchet wheel is provided with deep and shallow notches, the arrangement being such that when the pawl member engages the shallow notches, it will not be permitted to engage the shoulder on the pendulum lever and, therefore, will not actuate the latter. When, however, the pawl member is engaged in one of the deep notches of the ratchet wheel, it will be permitted to engage this shoulder on the pendulum lever and, therefore, effect a movement of the milling blade.

In order to vary the spacing of the rufiies, interchangeable ratchet wheels are provided having different arrangements thereon of the deep notches so that a rufile can be made, for example, upon every third stitch of the machine, every fourth stitch, every sixth stitch, or any other desired arrangement.

As shown, the ratchet wheel is provided with twelve notches and, therefore, any arrangement can be provided in which the ruffle may be made upon any stitch of which twelve is a multiple. This, of course, can be varied if desired, and the ratchet wheels provided with a difierent number of teeth.

As it is necessary to substitute one ratchet wheel for another when providing for a diflei ent spacing of the ruffles, it is desirable to provide a simple and easily manipulatable mechanism for securing the ratchet wheels in place so that they may be readily removed and replaced. The present invention relates particularly to a new method of securing the ratchet wheels in place and the associated mechanism.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved sewing machine attachment for making ruflles or gathers.

, A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved sewing machine attachment having interchangeable ratchet wheels for varying the spacing of the ruffles made by the attachment and having convenient and easily operated mechanism for removably securing one of the ratchet wheels in place.

Another object of the invention is to provide a miller attachment for sewing machines of the character described wherein the means for securing one of the ratchet wheels in place is a resilient or spring member releasably secured in operative position but readily moved to an inoperative position to permit the removal of the ratchet wheel from the machine.

Still another object of the invention is to pro vide a rufller attachment for sewing machines of the character described in which the member for securing the ratchet wheel in place is pro vided with a holding pawl to prevent reverse movement of the ratchet wheel.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

' In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a rufller attachment embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 showing the securing member for the ratchet wheel in another position;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the ratchet wheels employed with the miller attachment; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the ratchet wheel securing member.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention I have shown a rufller attachment for sewing machines including a frame which comprises an upwardly inclined frame member l0 I8 mounted on the fork arm I3 in the usual manner To the lower end of thependulum lever l5 pivoted a carrier 28 for the-,ruiiiingblade' 2 1;. It

will be obvious that as the forkarm-is Ieciproe cated, the pawl i! will strike the shoulder 16 and thus move the pendulum lever in one'direction to efiect the making of a ruflle. To move the pendue lum lever in the other direction the latter is provided with a shoulder 22T'adapted to be engaged bye screw 24 adjustably mounted ,on the fork armso that by adjustment of the screw. the throw of the milling blade is adjusted and thus the width eitherufileis varied. It will be understood that the-parts heretofore described are old in the art and. are not a part of the present, invention.

It will beseen that if the pawl ll strikes the shoulder l6 at each reciprocation of the fork arm l3,.a,rufiie';willibe madeat each reciprocation .of theneedle-bar .or at each stitch. of the-sewing machine.-. In order to vary the spacing between the rufiles, ratchet wheels are provided which control the engagement, .ofthepawl with the shoulder liB of thependulum lever. As shown in Figs. 1 and whenthepawl l'l isin engagement with .oneof the shallow notches orteeth-26,-1itwillbe held out of engagement. withtheshoulder Hi; When, however,.the.pawl lies in one of the deep notches 21,.itwillbe permitted toengagetheshoulder IG'. Asqtheratchet wheel will, be rotated. through one tooth space at-each oscillationcfthe fork arm, itwill, be .seenthat when the ratchet wheel 25,.is;used, therewill be astroke. of the ruiliingv bladeat, every sixth stitch-or twice during a com:-. plete rotation of theiratchet wheel which containstwelve teeth. inall. In-order, however, to vary the spacing: of the ruffles, ratchetwheels having, a different arrangement of teeth may-be provided. For instance, as .shown inFig. 3,.a ratchet Wheel 28 may be employed whichis pro-. .vided with four ofthedeep teeth or notches-29 and between these notches are two shallow teeth or notches 30 so that if thi ratchet wheel is em-, ployed, a three-stitch rufile. results.

It istherefore, desirable to providaa convene ient and readily manipulatable-means for -secur-. in gt e various ratchetwheels in place so that they may be-removed and replaced easily. To this end a retaining member 3| is pivoted at 32 to the. inclined frame member ID This member 3! 'is made of spring steel or similar resilientmaterial,

it being quite thin, as shown in side view in Fig. 4. The body portion of the retaining member is slightly offset from the lower or pivoted end as shown at 33 so as to clear the ratchet wheel. The retaining member is also provided with an opening 34 designed to receive the pivot pin i2 which is slightly longer than necessary to accommodate the ratchet wheel 25.

The member (if is sotensionedthat it is normally urgedtoward the frame member In so that when it is moved about its pivot 32 into the position shown in Fig. 1 in which the opening 34 will register with the pivot pin l2, it will snap into positionagainst theratchet wheel and hold the lattergin,place-'with the pin 12 received in the opening; :3 l.=:' 'I'heresilience of the retaining member 3|, however, allows the operator to engage the"curved-end35=-with his finger or thumb and move theeretaining member outwardly so as to disengag it from the pin I2 and permit it to be moved to the position shown in Fig. 2., Inthis position the ratchet. wheel, may be removed and replaced by another of different formation.v

A holding. pawl member, 38. is carried by 'the retaining member and may be conveniently pro-i. videdby striking inwardly a portion of thelmetal" ofthismember. This holding pawl is, provided at :a position, to engage the teeth .ofith'e ratchet wheel, asshowninFig. Liandprevent reverse movement of the wheeliwhen the forkiarmis. moved downwardly by the .nedlelban. 'I'h'us'the ratchet. barwill bepositively actuated through a distance of one tooth space by ,eachreciproca-.. tion of the fork arm.

WhileI haveshown ,andrde'scribed a. preferred. embodiment of .myinvention, it"will ,be understood that it is not to be-.limi.ted.. to .all'of the..details shown, but is capableof modification and varia-j. tion within the spirit of the invention and-withinthe scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

l. Asewing machineattachment comprising a frame, afork arm pivoted. thereon, a ratchet. wheel rotatablymounted on the frame for operation by the fork arm, and. means for -removably, holding said ratchet wheel in place, comprising: a retaining member..pivoted onthe frame to-be movedto and from a. positionoverlyingthe ratchetwheel, andsaid retaining member having a pawl thereonto engage the teethof theratchet wheel and prevent reverse rotation .thereof-..

, 2.'-.A sewingmachine attachment comprisin a frame, a fork I arm pivoted thereon, a ratchet wheel rotatably mounted on the frame for operation by theefork arm; andmeans for-removably holding said .;ratchet :wheel inplace, comprising a retaining member. .pivoted Jon the frame J to .be moved: to and from :a position overlying the ratchet wheeL-andsaid retaining member having a portion struckafromsthe ibody thereof to form a ;holding-;.pawl:- engaging the .teeth of the. ratchet wheel.

HERBERT H.1 RUSSELL-E.-

References Cited in the file of this patent" um'rnnzsmrrnssam'rnnrrsvr Number. Name Date 1,107,421 GlBiStnm; Allg.f'18','"1914 1,787,692 

